Education & Literature

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Education in the Tudor Period

Literacy (the ability to read and write) grew over the 16th century.

Literacy

The bulk of the population did not go to school and was illiterate.
Literacy for males rose from 20% to 30% during Elizabeth I’s reign. Literacy for females stayed at 20%.

Early schools

Children were taught about behaviour and religion at home.
Aged six, children then went to Sunday school.
Rich children may have learned with the help of a private tutor and poor children would have been trained in housekeeping and basic manual labour.

Petty schools

Petty schools taught reading, writing and maths.
There was no official curriculum and most schools didn’t have many resources.
There were no classes or year groups. Students started aged six, became literate (could read and write) and then left.
The schools were often run by wealthy people or local priests.

Grammar schools

Grammar schools charged fees unless a boy was especially bright. The curriculum was based on Latin, Greek, literature, history, religion and rhetoric.
The best students (male students) went to Cambridge and Oxford (the two universities in England). All studies at Oxbridge were in Latin.

Universities

During the Tudor period, the number of students attending universities increased. Furthermore, universities were central to the development of the Reformation in England.

Role of universities in the Henrician Reformation

In Oxford and Cambridge, the shape of the Church and its doctrine were debated.
Henry VIII tried to gain the support of university students to legitimate his divorce from Catherine of Aragon.
Historians have noted that the uptake of Protestantism was strongest amongst the younger generation of clergymen who had been at university during the years of religious reform.

Influence of humanism

Humanism was an intellectual movement that was focussed on the potential of mankind.
Humanist scholars believed education could improve the power of mankind.
Universities taught a Humanist education to its students.
It led scholars to rethink their views on religion and society.
To an extent, this drove the questioning of the traditional Church.

Development of universities under Mary I

Mary supported humanism and encouraged humanist education at universities.
She also focussed on expanding universities.
- E.g. St John’s College, Oxford was founded in 1555.

The Printing Press

Information and ideas were becoming more accessible during the Tudor Period. This was largely fuelled by the development of the Printing Press.

Origins of the printing press

The printing press was first created in Germany.
In England, the first printing press was used in 1476.

Impact of the printing press

The printing press meant books and artwork were becoming far more accessible.
This helped ideas spread, for example, those of humanists.
Printing contributed to the rise in literacy levels among the nobility and gentry.

Impact on the reformation

Traditionally, historians have associated the printing press with the rise of Protestantism.
Whilst the printing press did help disseminate Protestant ideas, Catholics could also spread their ideas. This is seen in Mary I’s use of the printing press in her restoration of Catholicism.
- E.g. the printing press was vital for producing new Catholic prayer books (which had been destroyed by Henry VIII and Edward VI).